This should be a simple operation for InDesign to handle, but I'm having all sorts of trouble with it. I'm trying to control the layout of various pages and the text frames within them by using master pages. From what I've read (and learned over the last 4-5 years using InDesign) I should be able to set a text frame location on the master, then cmd+shift+click to open up that text frame for editing on one of the document pages, and then later move that text frame on the master to have it update the location of the text frame throughout the document. But I'm finding that this doesn't work very consistently. I make text-frame location changes on the master (i.e. I move the text frame up a few baselines) and then the child pages don't get the update. The only way to get the update is to manually cut the text from the overidden frame, Go to the pages panel flyout menu > Master Pages > Remove selected overrides, then cmd+shift+click to override the master again, insert the text cursor, and paste. I have to do this for 4-5 frames on 10-15 pages. I know it could be worse (I could have to do this on 500+ pages or something), but there has to be a better way to adopt the text frame position and size changes made in a master and have those changes automatically reflected in the child pages. Isn't that what master pages are for? Any ideas how to deal with this?

I was pretty careful not to make any change to size or location on the child pages, since I've read that can mess up the connection. If Master pages weren't intended to be brought onto a live page, what is the proper way to create non-standard (e.g. non 2- or 4-column) layouts of text and images that can be repeated throughout a document? Is there a better way?

That's not what I said. I said the purpose of master text frames is for placing text.

Regardless of whether it's text or graphics, however, if you need to override master objects on a live page on every page, a master item is not called for. Without seeing your layout, it's nearly impossible for me to know what's going on but I will be dollars to donuts that you are in some way changing those text frames.

That said, it seems to me, you're working backwards. The layout should be firmly in place before doing this.